1940-1950 PAGE 4

Here is an interesting little Christmas light tester, kindly given to me by a friend. It was manufactured in the late 1940s by the Leo Pollock Company, the maker of Polly brand Christmas lights. Testers like these were usually given to merchants to make the testing of Christmas lights at the point of sale easier. Here is a transcript of the instructions printed on the paper label of the unit, reading left to right:

The above opening is for testing all Edison based lamps and the
C-9 ½ intermediate base Xmas tree lamps. Just drop lamp into socket.

The above receptacle is for testing appliances of all kinds
and Xmas Tree sets.

The above receptacle is for testing Candelabra Base lamps and C-7 ½ Xmas
tree lamps. Just drop lamp into socket.

The above two sockets (large and small) are connected in series for the purpose of testing
low voltage miniature base lamps. To get results, see that a G-19 30 watt lamp is first permanently
screwed into the above socket. To test the C-6 15 volt Xmas tree lamps, drop the lamp into the
small socket, and if OK, both the C-6 and G-19 lamp will light up together. Be sure to use the same
type G-19 30 watt 120 volt lamp if same needs to be replaced.

Another interesting development of the postwar 40s were these fluorescent lamps, introduced by Sylvania in 1945. The lamps were sold in outfits of seven by companies such as Royal and Polly. Quite expensive--they were about two and a half times as costly as a regular lighting outfit-- and much dimmer that traditional incandescent lamps, the sets did not not sell well and were discontinued by the end of the decade. The lamps are a milky white before power is applied, but glow with wonderful soft pastel colors when turned on. The color of the lamp is determined by the various gases and phosphors contained within, and is activated when electrical current passes through the gas. Sylvania offered these lights in coral (orange), yellow, blue, green and orchid (pink). The orchid color was a later addition to the color mix, as boxes from the first year of production like the one pictured above only list the other four colors. The lamps dim with age and use and eventually fail to glow, but do not burn out suddenly like their incandescent counterparts.

Below are other sets offered by Miller Electric:

(This set is from the collection of Ken Noto)


Here is an exciting discovery by David Neely, and is from his collection. This Sylvania-branded fluorescent light set is the only one of its type I've ever seen. Before David discovered this set, I had believed that Sylvania sold their exclusive fluorescent lamps to other companies, and never marketed a set of their own. Another unusual feature is that while the box plainly says Fluorescent Decorative Lamp Set, 7 lamps, For use on A.C. Current only 105-130 V, it shows eight lamps on the cover. Typically, Christmas light outfit box art depicts the correct number of lamps included in the set. A most interesting outfit.

This set from Polly is in a strangely plain box, very unlike other outfits offered by this company. A look at their 1948 catalog explains why: the set was sold for commercial decorating, and so the packaging did not have to appeal to the consumer. The insert, however, is the same as the ones offered in the retail versions of the outfit. I was able to add this set to my collection through the kindness of David Neely, a friend and fellow collector.

Here is an unusual outfit from Snapit, called Sleigh-O-Lites. The lights are stored in a unique sleigh that slides out of the box. Uses for the sleigh are printed on the bottom of the outer sleeve, and suggestions include a "unusual decoration under the tree," or a "beautiful and decorative centerpiece for your festive table, either with lamps turned on or filled with fruits and nuts...candies or gifts." The lighting string is a typical C-7 candelabra base string with seven inside-colored GE lamps (the company offered a C-6 outfit as well, in an identical box). The string is of high quality, as the Snapit company was mainly engaged in the manufacture of electrical devices. This was their one and only foray into the Christmas lighting business. The outfit is circa 1948.

Here are a few more outfits from the 1940 to 1950 decade:
DATE	DESCRIPTION/NOTES	OUTSIDE PICTURE
circa 1940	The Leo Pollack Company made very high quality outfits in the 30s and 40s.
circa 1940	A Belcolite outfit, made by a small company that was not in business very long.
circa 1940	Paramount made this "Straightline" outfit for many years
circa 1941	This Radiant set has red and green cloth cording and uses candelabra base C-7 lamps.
circa 1941	Another offering from The Leo Pollack Company.
circa 1941	A Reliance outfit advertising the use of Westinghouse light bulbs.
circa 1946	A Peerless set, using box art that first appeared in the late 1920s on NOMA products. Other companies have used this art as well. inside view
circa 1946	This is the postwar version of the more colorful Polly box pictured above.
1946-1952	This countertop box of figural lamps is from Jack D. Fink and Company, Brokers-Importers, Albany, Oregon. It is marked on the bottom "Made in Occupied Japan", dating it to 1946-1952, the beginning of the waning years of figural light sales in the United States. An interesting stamp affixed to the box cover provides more information. "JIS" refers to "Japanese Industrial Standard", a quality certification system. The letter "C" refers to the fact that the product being certified is electrical in nature, and the number "7505" is the specific standard to which the product is being certified.
circa 1946	Royal offered this commercial decorating light set shortly after the War. It was sold to large department stores for window decorating. The set has been shared with us from the collection of Chris Cuff.
circa 1947	This On-A-Lite outfit was made by The Iron Firemen Company, and was one of the first to offer sockets that could be placed anywhere on the lighting cord. NOMA later acquired the rights to the patent.
circa 1948	This set from Glolite was actually made by NOMA. Glolite was a division of the larger company, and products sold under the Glolite name were of cheaper manufacture.
circa 1948	Kas-Kel outfits are not often seen, as the company only sold Christmas lights for a very few years.
circa 1949	Cheerbrite offered these lights for several years.
circa 1949	An inexpensive outfit from Majestic.


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After the War, NOMA and other companies tried to make up for lost ground by offering many new styles of lamps. These circa 1947 Glo Ray lamps are an example of such an attempt. Heavy and cumbersome, the lamps were not big sellers and were soon discontinued. Sales of all Christmas lights were soon to be greatly effected by NOMA's offering of the newly patented Bubble Lites.